Girl's Trip 2026

Our annual girls trip is something I look forward to ALL YEAR LONG!!! And this year did NOT dissapoint!

We drove down to St. George on Thursday night after grabbing the best burritos from Maize. We listened to Nate Bargatze on the drive down and watched (I listened) to Pride and Prejudice in preparation for the anticipated binge watching of "The Other Bennett Sister". 

I should clarify- Lucy watched P&P, Grace and Marian slept! It had been a big week and everyone was ready to rest.

We started off the morning with a hike in Snow Canyon...one of my favorite places on the planet. I feel like the sky is bluer (more blue?) here than anywhere else I have ever been.

Can you even with that smile?

We are pretty much the coolest and I am the LUCKIEST to have such fun, adventurous, and delightful daughters!!!!

I almost can't breathe thinking that this girl... is headed off to college and then on a mission soon.

{imagine picture of Lucy here}

she is in her "no photos" era so be grateful for every glimpse of her you get!

Next stop was Orange Peel for the Choco-wake up shake...it is soooo good that no one was brave enough to order something different.

Pedicures at Pro Nails and Spa was a total hit!!! 

This may not have been our only Swig run. I was trying to re-create the yummiest combo my friend Brooke Urry brought me before girls camp...Diet Dr. Pepper with raspberry puree and sugar free coconut syrup. NOT raspberry syrup...that was a dissapoiunting miss.

Baptisms at the St. George Temple...SUCH a pretty temple inside and out!

Gotcha Lucy! She brought family names and got to be baptized for two sisters!!! Maybe they were having their own girls weekend up in Heaven too!

Love

That's right- I'm a cool mom and got everyone matching pink leopard print pajamas.

Before I had kids- I'd often pictured myself as a "boy mom" - I'm sure that would have been fun...but I have a hard time believing it would be MORE fun that a weekend of hiking, swimming, pedicures, Nertz tournaments, ice cream, Thai food, reflexology at FIKA, and binge watching "The Other Bennett Sister"with my favorite girls on the planet!  

This show did NOT disappoint! We all LOVED it!

 

THE OLDEST

It's not easy being the oldest.  The oldest is the guinea pig.  He has the most responsibility (and privileges I try to remind him...) But really I think being the oldest can be pretty hard.  Lucky for us our oldest is pretty dang great.  Sure he can tease and harass in ways only a 13 year old boy can, but he brings so much good and happiness into our home too.

Jack started taking piano lessons from Grandma Linda this summer and I really think it is the highlight of his week.  He LOVES his lessons and fills our home with beautiful music when he practices.  He also fills our home with the Entertainer about 100 x's a week....not what I would call beautiful music (at least not the 1 millionth time you've heard it) but even though I beg him to stop, I can't help smile when he plays it.

 Jack is THE most helpful person to have around when we go skiing with the family!  He has boundless energy and helps get the twins and all their gear up the hill and into their ski class.  He happily skis backwards to help coach Grant and Grace down the hill and encourages Marian and Lucy at every step.  Even though I'm pretty sure he'd rather be off hot doggin it down black diamonds...that kid is fearless, he never complains about skiing with the family.


 Thanks to an awesome woman in our ward Jack has learned how to find names of our ancestors who need temple work done for them.  It has been so awesome for me to see Jack and Marian and some of their cute friends take those names to the temple and get baptized for them.  It is also a good motivator for me to get to the temple so I can do their temple work too!

Even though he is a full blown teenager in so many ways...he's not TOO cool to leave selfies like this on my phone every now and then :)

Jack  may be turning into a big tough teenager on the outside ( it's not going to be long before he and I see eye to eye...literally ) but he still has the sweetest heart on the inside.  He has always been comfortable talking to adults and new people and turning teen hasn't changed that a bit.  We have a friend "Grandpa Jack" in our ward who we love going over to visit.  My Jack is always so warm and easy at conversations with him I can't help but be impressed.  I am certain that talking with people is one of Jack's spiritual gifts.

 We have been bombarded with snow this winter and one Sunday after staying late at church for Young Women meetings I came home to this sweet scene.  Jack recruited Grant to help him shovel our driveway and sidewalks, and the driveways of at least 4 other families on our street! 

I'm telling you, being the mother of a teen is not for the faint of heart.  Figuring out rules and expectations for  video games, phones, school, and friends that Chad and I feel good about but that also allows our first baby the chance to grow and spread his wings of independence  is overwhelming sometimes.  There have been times when I've felt bad for allowing too much and times when I've felt bad for allowing too little.  At this early stage in my teenage mothering I'm realizing that I'm going to get it wrong ...a lot.  But I'm going to get a lot of things right too and learn more and more along the way.  I'm also realizing that I am SO lucky to have a kid like Jack as my first to help me figure things out.  Even though we can get pretty steamed at each other, he is quick to forgive and even when he really REALLY doesn't like certain rules, I'm pretty sure that deep deep deep down he knows that I'm acting out of love.  And truth is, if we keep LOVE at the center of our mother-teen relationship I'm confident we will do just fine.  Love and a whole lot of forgiveness...and burger runs, and new hair styles that may or may not be something I would pick and late night youtube binge watching etc... etc...

Just Like My Mom

I keep telling my mom that I am her 2.0! I had five kids in less than 10 years...just like my mom.  I have a husband with a very demanding job that keeps him away most evenings...just like my mom. I wiggle my finger in my ear in the weirdest way that only my mom does (and her siblings) and although I swore I would never do that...I do and it feels amazing.   I see and hear myself doing things EXACTLY the way my mom did. I  I no longer understand most aspects of technology...just like my mom.  I have a certain groan that is reserved for when I do something wrong...just like my mom. I have constant piles (particularly laundry piles) and projects that have become permanent parts of my decor...just like my mom, and I've been known to greet guests at the door and then quickly rush out to dead head a few flowers in my yard before we sit down for dinner...just like my mom.  Every morning I tell my kids to look for someone who needs a friend...just like my mom told me.  I try (try being the operative word here) to think about how others feel rather than focusing on just myself. I try to build people up.  Just like my mom.  Although I can barely thread a sewing machine and my garden is small and sometimes neglected, I try to beautify the spaces around me through my talents, just like my mom.  I try to show the Lord I love him by faithfully serving in my church callings, just like my mom. Everyday I remind myself that "happiness is a choice" and "I can do hard things" Just. Like. My. Mom. I am so grateful for my mom.  She has been my best friend since pretty much forever and I am grateful for her every day.  I hope that I can become more and more... just like my mom!

Landmark Day

Everyone was on time to school today AND everyone brushed their teeth before they left.  Landmark day for the Pugh household.  In other news our kitchen looks like a bomb went off.

Thanks Kids!

Dear Jack, Marian, Lucy, Grant, and Gracie, Mother's Day  was awesome!  Thank you for helping dad make a delicious breakfast.  Thank you Jack for setting the table so nicely.  Thank you Marian for making the hot chocolate extra chocolatey...just the way I like it!  Thank you Lucy for the pile of pictures and cards!  Thank you Grant for not breaking anything or throwing food during breakfast!  Thank you Gracie for singing "Happy Mother's Day to Mary" to the tune of Happy Birthday all morning long.  (but feel free to go back to calling me mom any time now!)

You are great kids and I'm pretty sure I don't tell you often enough how much I appreciate all the things you do!

Jack- thank you for taking out the trash EVERY.SINGLE. DAY.  You are such a good sport about it...even when the bathroom trash is overflowing with pull-ups and diapers!  So gross- so glad I don't have to do that!  Thank you!  Thank you for being a cheerful cello practicer most days and thank you for playing my favorite songs "French Folk Song" and "Rigadoon" whenever I ask.  Thank you for always telling me you love be before you leave for school and thank you for wanting to tell me about your day when you get home.  Thank you for being my guinea pig child and loving me even when I am a total nutcase!  Thank you for mastering the art of Macaroni and Cheese and your newest specialty...waffles!  Thank you for always pushing the cart when we go to Costco and for telling me riddles and jokes you made up.  Thank you for being the first to ask how you can help when things get hectic and thank you for loving maps like I do!  Finally, thank you for making me a mom!

Marian- thank you for having the world's best giggle,  If I could bottle one sound and have it forever it would be your giggle!  Thank you for being the most cautious tooth puller ever.  You have provided me with many nights of entertainment watching you coax your loose teeth out ever so slowly and gently!  Thank you for being so organized and being a good example to your brothers and sisters for what a clean room really looks like!  Thank you for being so brave!  I love watching you do your round-off back handsprings and I am in total shock that you are brave enough to do that!  On that note..thank you for having the biggest biceps on the littlest arms I ever did see!  Thank you for putting on dance concerts at night after we finish dishes!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE watching you dance around with your sisters!  Thank you for being a book worm!  You remind me of myself when I was your age and it is so fun to see you devour a stack of books every week!  Thank you for helping me pick out what clothes to wear when I go out on dates with dad and thank you for having such great style and for being the most fun shopping partner ever! 

Lucy- thank you for making me laugh every day!  Thank you for being the best big sister Grant and Gracie could ever ask for.  Thank you for playing "puppies" with them and getting them to follow you around and do whatever you ask.  It's the cutest and makes them so happy! Thank you for being so silly and for making the "dumb face" whenever I need to laugh.  Thank you for loving lipstick! Even though I can't find my own lipstick half the time I love seeing how excited you are to wear it!  Thank you for writing love notes to everyone all the time!  Thank you for using your signature phrase "you are cool and awesome" on every note you write.  It makes me smile every time I read it.  Thank you for being so excited to read.  I love listening to you read your Kindergarten baggie books and now the library  books you are starting to read too!  Thank you for being such a big BYU fan, it makes your dad so happy!  Thank you for texting uncle Rich and other random people in my contacts.  It gives me a good giggle to see all the emoji's you use!  Thank you for changing your clothes 10 times a day then checking in the mirror for approval each time...ok actually I don't really like that you do that- it drives me crazy but it's cute and it's so you and I don't want to forget that about you.

Grant- Thank you for being a three year old version of Evel Knievel.  Every day I get a front row seat to your death defying and destructive antics!  Thank you for loving to cuddle!  You always ask for me to "hold you" when I put you to bed and I LOVE to sit on the couch in your room and hold you as long as I can.  Thank you for being my early morning buddy!  No one else seems to want to get up at 6:00 am (myself included really) but it is nice to feel so wanted!  Thank you for being so friendly.  You have more adult friends at church than I do and it's because you are so much fun to be around. Thank you for having to most amazing dance moves.  Our after dinner dance parties would not be the same without your hip shakes and somersaults. Finally thank you for miraculously having made it this far without any broken bones or even stitches.  You ride your scooter like an X-game competitor, launch yourself off of heights and into walls yet somehow you have managed to stay in one piece.  THANK YOU and keep it up!

Gracie- Thank you for being my little buddy. Whenever I am working on a project or cleaning the house you play quietly near me or just chat with me while I work.  Thank you for being a little mommy to Grant and keeping him in line...no easy task.  Thank you for being willing to drink out of cups that are not purple.  This is a recent development and has improved my quality of life drastically.  Thank you for sneaking off with my iphone to have your own private dance parties!  You have to sweetest little moves when you think no one is watching.  Thank you for being a rule follower when it comes to scooter rides.  I can always count on you to stay close by and not take off for the state border like other twins I know. Thank you for loving the gangster style Boston hat and insisting to wear it all the time.  Although I would prefer pigtails and bows, you look awesome in the hat and the fact that you love it SO much makes me smile. Thank you for singing the Daniel Tiger song about not losing your temper when your mom maybe...sometimes ...every once in a while ...might start to lose her cool.  Thank you for still falling asleep in my arms when I rock you in the rocking chair.  It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, it is the happiest magic I know.

Thanks kids for being the five people most likely to make me LOSE MY MIND while still managing to be my five favorite little people on earth.  I am so grateful to have you in my life and am so glad I get to be your mom.

A New Phase

I'm potty training Grant this week.  To be fair I should probably say that LUCY is potty training Grant this week.  She's all over this.  It's awesome.  As I am on the verge of having no kids in diapers (as opposed to having at least 1 kid in diapers for the last 10 and a half years...at one point 3 kids in diapers!!!!) I realize that a certain phase of my life is closing.  I don't mean the diaper changing phase specifically...that I am not the least bit sentimental about.

 The baby phase however, THAT I am crazy sentimental about.  I LOVE babies, their smell, their smiles and giggles. Their physical milestones of crawling, walking, even smiling!  It is so full of joy and miracles.  It is equally if not more so full of physical exhaustion, messes, insurmountable logistics, and worries.  But it has been and is WONDERFUL.

 I want to capture and hang on to as many memories and day to day little things as I can because just as the baby phase is slowly drifting into the past...this new phase...I don't even know what to call it...sort of young family life?...it is going to pass just as quickly if not more so.

For Example:

This is what packing for 5 kids (just the kids) looked like in 2014. notice the 2 port-a-cribs there on the left? When we went down to St. George a few weeks ago I packed ZERO porta-cribs, not 1 stroller,  no bottles, formula, burp cloths or baby bjorns etc...It was CRAZY!  The kids could get into the car without stepping on luggage and Chad could actually see out of the rear view window!

So, just to capture a few snippets of life right now here are a few pictures from my phone (let's just ignore that fact that I have an incredible DSLR camera that I never use and my children's childhood will mostly be captured on a little iPhone ok?)

These three are like the 3 Musketeers.  They are ALWAYS together...as you can see in this little gem of a picture.  Lucy was adamant that Grant should have his hair brushed after bath time just like hers and Gracie's.  Grant was THRILLED and held perfectly still for the entire 10 minute styling session.  Lucy is the Pied Piper for these two and they will follow her lead everywhere we go.  When they go to childcare at the gym Grant and Grace- who LOVE the gym- won't step foot into the kids area until Lucy goes in first.   I love their little threesome and although it is of course not all love and kindness...there is going to be a lot of sadness when Lucy starts all day 1st grade in the fall.  Assuming I let her go!  I'm not sure I can do without her!

Jack is obsessed with erasers.  Not regular end of pencil erasers. but toy erasers that apparently come in every shape size and style.  Food erasers, car erasers, animal erasers, iPhone erasers...you name it, it comes in the form of an eraser.  Jack is a master trader because he comes home with new ones every day and I have yet to actually buy him one...how is he getting these?  Any way the kids are all enamored with his collection and were thrilled when he set out each and everyone for them to ooh and aah over during our post FHE dessert.  Dessert just happened to be our favorite cookie ever...ROLO cookies!!!!  I could pretty much each those all day every day and never get sick of them.  It's a toss up which part I like more; eating them or watching my kids' little fingers unwrap each rolo (eating only a few), rolling them up in the dough (tasting only a little), and then rolling them in the sugar (licking their fingers only a few times). Awesome.  

 The "You are Special Plate" was out in honor of Jack and Marian going 2 whole days without fighting once!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We are currently on day 5 (knock on wood) and though I know there will of course be squabbles again eventually, this cease fire has been a breath of fresh air.  Every morning this week I have told Marian and Jack how much my heart is exploding with happiness with the way they are treating each other and what a difference it is making in our family.  Because really people..this has been huge!  

This is me just about every day.  Not the hiking back pack and red rock nature scenery part...but the other part.  The part where my kids are surrounding me, wanting to be right by me.  Expressing their independence (hence the empty back pack) but still wanting to stay close.  Chad jokes that they just follow me around like ducklings and it's pretty true.  Alone time is rare...hence the new membership at the gym! This picture also captures my typical appearance... tired but mostly happy...disheveled hair and thank goodness exercise clothes are at least sort of acceptable attire for going out in public because most days that's what I'm wearing...need to work on that.   Life is so so good!  I am constantly amazed at all our blessings amidst the chaos of daily life and so grateful for Chad and our rowdy crew that keep our hands and hearts full.

I don't want to forget...

There seemed to be an extra amount of cuteness and sweetness in our home this week.  Maybe I was just paying better attention or maybe the stars aligned.  Either way I want to capture it here because I don't want to forget the little things that happened like...

• Lucy, standing in the hallway doing the "hula" with her eyes crossed in an attempt to make me laugh while I was rocking Gracie to sleep.  (Lucy totally succeeded)

• Marian spending hours,  and I mean HOURS people in front of the mirror trying to extract her loose front tooth without inflicting any pain on herself.  She was adamant that no one could be in the bathroom with her while she was working on it.  I swear it was the loosest  still attached tooth ever.  She finally lured that tooth out and Marian's toothless smile is about the cutest thing ever.

• As I was cleaning up dinner this week I casually said to Grant, "ok buddy let's go take a bath".  He threw both arms into the air and yelled YES! with as much enthusiasm as a 2 year old can muster.  (for those of you who aren't familiar with 2 year olds...that's a lot of enthusiasm

• Jack has been cooking up a storm and for two days in a row has been  whipping up delicious fresh off the stove quesadillas for lunch.  He eats about 8 himself because apperently he is getting ready to grow about 2 feet.  The boy has been a bottomless pit lately!

• Grant came into his room this week just after I'd converted his crib into a toddler bed (being in the crib contained him for about 0.5 seconds then he'd spend the rest of the night crying on the floor because he couldn't get back into the crib...so it was time)  He immediately climbed into the bed, lay down on the pillow, pulled the blankets over himself and began to snore a very convincing snore.  (I think he's been listening to Chad.  Sorry babe it's true, you totally snore).

• Before heading to the BYU Blue and White game we stopped at Ripples in Provo for burgers and hot dogs Friday night.  Marian was completely devastated to find that they had put ketchup mustard AND relish on her hot dog.  Oh the humanity!  Without saying a word Jack took her hot dog, scraped off all the offending condiments, and sweetly coaxed her into eating the entire thing.

• Grace has become a bit of a parrot.  It's especially hilarious when she mimics Chad while he's on the phone with someone.  Grace does a great Chad impersonation

• Every week when we walk into our church's sacrament meeting Grant immediately starts yelling for his 10 year old cousin Abby who is in our same ward (congregation).  Grant loves Abby.  We all love Abby. If you knew Abby you'd love her too.  Just not as much as Grant does.  We quickly made it too our seats with only a few shouts of "Abby!!!" from Grant before he hurried up the aisle to where Abby was sitting.  When he got to her he couldnd't contain his excitement any longer and let out one last ABBY!!!  only this time it was so loud the entire congregation started laughing.  Including me.  It was awesome.

My Motherhood Manual

Every once in a while I have a major mom melt down.  By every once in a while I basically mean once a week.  At least.  I keep saying to Chad I wish I could just stop time for a week while I catch my breath, recharge my batteries and get organized!  A girl can dream right?

If I could have a manual to refer to on how to successfully navigate all the ins and outs of mothering these 5 wonderful and wonderfully exhausting children..that would be awesome.  Sometimes I feel like I totally relate to the Old Woman in the Shoe!  If only a bit of broth, bread and a kiss before bed did the trick.  Although there is a lot of wisdom in that now that I think of it.  Feed them, give them a little love and affection and then send them to bed.  Not a terrible strategy but I need more guidance.

 There have definitely been bits of wisdom and good advice that I have gleaned from watching and learning from amazing mothers and I've decided it would be helpful to me if I compiled that wisdom in a list.  This is by no means a comprehensive list and it is most definitely not a list of things I always do.  Rather a list of things I have done from time to time that ALWAYS gives positive results.  My own "How to raise 5 Pughs" manual if you will.

Here it is:

1. Sit down and read to my kids.  Reading to them in their bed is the best for some reason.
2. Do crafts with my kids. Lucy's favorite thing to do with me is color!
3. Play games with my kids (Jack is in love with Stratego right now.  Marian loves Farkle, Lucy is always good for a game of UNO and the babies love a round or 2 (or 200) of hide and seek
4. Lunch dates.  Magic has happened when I've taken Jack, Marian, and Lucy on a 1 on 1 lunch date.  Corner Bakery has been our restaurant of choice.
5. Tell 3 things I loved about them during the day.  Jack is in love with this little ritual and it guarantees we end the night on a happy and positive note!  Plus I'm pretty sure I'm always low on the positive to negative comments ratio so this is a good reminder to me to look for the good and mention it!
6. Pull out my charm necklace with all the kids names on it (I'm usually wearing it) and go through the names and kiss the charm with the name of the child in my lap.
7. Love you beads!  Marian has a few bead necklaces and bracelets and occasionally I'll sit her down on my lap and go through the beads saying one thing I love about her on every bead.  This also works great using their fingers instead of beads.
8. 1-2-3 Magic!  Best parenting book for me.  When I really follow it I am SO much better at keeping my cool.  Less talk, more action!
9. A hug and a kiss and an I love you!  My Grandma Jean started this tradition and my kids love it!  I notice my kids seem to melt into my arms when I remember to do this before they leave or when they come home.
10. Write them notes!  Marian and Lucy write Chad and I several notes every week...clearly a way they show love!  They get so excited when we write them back.  Even though Jack isn't much of a note writer...I found out last week that he keeps ALL the notes I write him so I think it's safe to say he likes getting them too.
11. Pray with my kids and listen to them pray before bed.
12. Rub their backs.  My kids get so calm when I do this so heaven knows why I don't do it all the time!
13. Prepare my kids for events and expectations.  Things seem to go much more smoothly when I let my kids know what we are doing and what it expected of them.  Even short car rides to Grandma's house can be disastrous if I don't remind them not to fight, yell, or scream at each other during the epic 15 minute drive.
14. Have dinner early...like 5:00 or 5:30.  Then there is time afterward for the bonding bedtime routines.  Otherwise 8:00 hits, no one is in bed and getting everyone into bed as fast as possible is the only thing on my mind!
15. More screen time usually leads to a major melt down when the screen is turned off.  For some reason with my kids it's like trading what I want most (cheerful happy kids) for what I want at the moment (peace and quiet).  I rarely regret taking a few minutes to get them interested in something else...or better yet spending a few minutes with them myself!  Someone once told me, if you give your kids 15 minutes of attention, they will give you an hour of independent play!

I'm sure I will add to and change this list many times.  But it already feels good to have it as a reference for the next time I feel totally overwhelmed. You know...like tomorrow!

Motherhood

I have FINALLY been going through pictures from my iPhone and camera.  Pictures from FOREVER ago.  I've been sending pictures often to my parents in Australia to keep them apprised of the happenings and appearances of their grand babies.  But I really want to have a consolidated record of this family of mine.  I know I won't remember half the things that I swear I won't forget... so hopefully this blog will help fill in the gaps some day.

I came across these gems from Easter. As in 6 months ago...half a year ago...basically forever ago. But as I scrolled through the sequence of shots I thought it told a pretty accurate story of motherhood.

I'd given all the children new spring pajamas and wanted to capture a picture of all of them together.

 

No easy task with 5 kids (two of them 16 months old) 

But with a little...ok a lot of patience, time, and effort... 

I came away with this sweet photo of happy faces looking for the most part in my general direction. Such a sweet memory!

Motherhood feels a lot like that.  

Things are hectic and chaotic and it takes a lot of time and effort and patience to have things run smoothly.  But then for a moment things fall into place and it was all worth it.

This next series of pictures is from later that same day.  We'd just gotten home from church and I wanted to capture everyone in their new Easter clothes (the acquiring of said clothes in correct sizes and coordinating colors had been no small task and I wanted to document my success...and my adorable children).  After church is never a good time for pictures (or anything constructive for that matter) but we of course hadn't had time BEFORE church so this was the best option I had.

Just like the pajama pictures, it was not easy to get everyone to sit still,

...or sit at all

...or cooperate in any way,

...even with a different setting

But with a little patience, (which I had none of at this point), and more time and more effort 

...it was still a total disaster 

Motherhood feels a lot like that too...

Sometimes everything goes wrong, everyone is mad, the house is a disaster, we're running late, and chaos is king.  There are some things no amount of patience and effort can fix at that moment and you have to know when to cut your losses.  Especially for things that don't really matter. Like maybe trying to take a picture when little people are hungry, tired, and done being in church clothes.  (Seeing how adorable the dresses and vests are together...and Grant's pinstripe pants!!! you can at least see why I really really wanted to get that picture right?)

6 months later I'm not sure I like the "everyone looking" pajama picture any better than the "total meltdown" Easter pictures.  Both tell stories that are 100% accurate of this phase of life.  And besides, how awesome is Lucy's face in the 2nd to last photo?  

Classic.

What families do

Being a part of a family really is an incredible thing.  By choice or by birth…all 7 members of this household are stuck together and have to learn how to navigate all the ups and downs of life together. 

  Sometimes…sometimes it is joyful and easy.  

Sometimes…especially among the kids… it is epically bad.  

But…because we are a family we keep trying to learn to love, and to forgive.  Scenes like this prove my point better than words ever could. 

Here is Jack, happily reading books on his bunk bed to Marian and Lucy…when only hours before he had nothing but harsh words and total rage for one of his sisters (whether or not it was deserved I won’t get into).  And the amount of screaming and shrieking on the sister end was almost unbearable (and I must say I have developed a pretty high tolerance for that over the years).   And during Family Home Evening when we were writing what we loved about each other on little Valentine hearts, there was more than one person who loudly proclaimed they couldn't possibly think of anything to write. It blows my mind that pictures like this are even possible after days like we had today.  But I guess it shouldn’t.  I’m learning that this is what families do.... at least our family.  

We try to love one-another…we often fail in a big way 

(myself very much included)…

but then... we try again.  

Amazing.  

So now the big question is how long do I let this moment of sibling love continue? I put them to bed an hour ago…9:00 is creeping up and I know I’ll have grumpy children in the morning if I don’t put an end to their sibling love-fest soon.   Truth is, they might be grumpy tomorrow anyway so I think I’ll go watch the DVR’d  Downton Abbey instead.  Plus…with the rate at which our basement is getting finished the kids aren’t going to be sharing a room together for much longer!  Now there is something that will really increase sibling love…separate bedrooms for all!!!! 

(Grant and Gracie are exempt from previous statement)

...unless Gracie finally gets fed up with Grant throwing every.single.item. from his crib (often including his pants) into her crib whenever he wakes up.)

Little Things

Lately I have been feeling the "totally overwhelmed mom" feelings.  I feel completely maxed out with all my responsibilities.  The fact that my biggest responsibilities are also my greatest blessings adds a bit of guilt into the mix.  It seems that from the minute I wake up to the minute I crash at night there is almost always someone needing to be fed, changed, comforted, bathed, dressed, disciplined, practiced with, loved, listened to, read to, tucked in, etc.. There is an endless amount of laundry and dishes to be done and for some reason  Cheerios for dinner just doesn't seem to cut it.  Some days it feels like there is non-stop fighting, teasing, bickering, whining, crying, complaining, and total dis-respect.  I realize that in the grand scheme of things these are happy problems to have and I am SO SO SO much happier being in this stage and not back in the bed-rest phase...but last week I was beginning to feel totally rundown.
5...or maybe 10 chocolate chip cookies helped a little,
a supportive friend and listener helped even more,
a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a frozen pizza for dinner from Chad helped a ton,
but surprisingly the thing that helped the most was when I happened to go through some pictures on my computer that I hadn't really looked at since I took them.  The saying
"the days are long but the years are short"
kept running through my head.  I realized that a midst all the chaos and craziness...I need to try to remember the little things that make raising children so special.  As I looked at the pictures...mostly from the summer, I decided that I want to do a better job of remembering those little things when I feel like my task is too big.

And really, I do not want to forget...

that thanks to her Great Grandma Marian, at age 5, my little Marian can make banana walnut bread by herself from scratch....seriously she does it all...chop, mix, bake and serve!

I want to remember that Jack and Marian don't always fight and terrorize each other
(and yes that is a rock in Jack's stroller)

Grant and Grace used to hold hands in the porta-crib together

Jack was a total nerd....for nerd day at school

My kids actually do enjoy being together!  (at least sometimes)

I want to remember that when Jack started scouts I thought he looked so handsome and grown up (and I was unreasonably proud of the fact that I sewed the patches onto his shirt all by myself!)

I don't want to forget that during lunch, Marian and Lucy dance around the kitchen singing and acting out the same "Standin' Tall" songs I used to sing and act out with my sisters.  Anyone remember "Welcome to the Land of Obey?

We only have one baby jumper...and Grace's feet can't reach the ground when it's at Grant's setting.

How cute are those toes?

It's too much of  a hassle to change the settings back and forth so we improvise...

She loves it

I don't want to forget that Lucy LOVES to play with the babies on the floor in the family room and they usually love it too.

As he as done with all our babies...Chad is obsessed with kissing their cheeks and telling me every five minutes that they are the most beautiful babies in the world.

When he's home....Chad almost always has at least one baby on or around him

I've heard that someday we won't have to buy diapers any more and so I guess someday I might forget that once a month the UPS guy would deliver a box the size of Jack filled with diapers and wet wipes....I guess I could forget that...but I doubt it.